Beware the ides of March
by tommigoesfroging
Summary: They haven't talked since his 13th birthday party, now 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar' may force a conversation. A love story in 18 scenes
1. Act 1 Scene 1

**Beware the ides of March**

**Act 1 Scene 1**

**Assemble all the poor men of your sort**

"Settle down, settle down" Mr Mason banged gently on his desk as he surveyed the class, "I know you all must want to talk about how 'like so totallyawesome' your weekends were but perhaps we could refrain while we are all in my class".

Bella looked down at the notepad in front of her, drawing circles along the edge only keeping one ear on what Mr Mason was telling the class. In truth it was probably her favourite class, but she had spent the weekend working and really could not be bothered to look like she was paying attention. All she really wanted was to go and eat lunch and take a nap. She was half conscious that Mr Mason was talking about Shakespeare and the rest of the semester.

"Therefore, my lovely seniors, I have decided to do something a little different" Mr Mason continued, Bella zoning in more so to his lecturing, "instead of us all studying the same play and all giving presentations on the same topic which means I get very bored. You shall all be put into twos and each couple will study a different play and shall deliver a presentation." He surveyed the room, "and no, you shall not be picking your own partner, the magic of the hat will do that for you." A few groans across the room, "now, now, it isn't like you don't all know each other." He picked up two hats that had been sitting on his desk but no one had noticed. He walked over to Ben Cheney and handed him one hat. "This side will pick from the hat in Mr Cheney's hand, and the other" he handed the other hat over, "from the other".

The hats were passed back; Bella took one piece of paper hurriedly before thrusting the hat behind her. She thumbed the small piece of paper in her hand. Before slowly unfolding in to see Julius Caesar printed in block capitals on it. She folded it up once more and went back to drawing circles on her paper. Carefully attempting to shade them in with her biro but they just became stripy circles. She zoned out again truly, focusing on her circles, ignoring all that was going on around her,

"Julius Caesar?"

A deep, bored voice from the back of the class responded, "Yep".

"Excellent, Mr Cullen, and…." Mr Mason looked up but no one else responded, "Julius Caesar?" again no answer, "Julius Caesar" he paused and looked around at the class, "Come on people, Mr Cullen isn't that bad, I'm sure" A slight giggle around the room occurred but no reply, "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" his final words woke Bella up from her retrieve with a jolt, "Julius Caesar, please"

"Sorry Sir, Yes" Bella said, feeling herself grow red and embarrassment coated her words.

Mr Mason sighed, "Finally decided to join us, Miss Swan? Excellent. You are with Mr Cullen".

Bella slumped down in her seat as Mr Mason continued listing plays.

Why did it have to be him? Of all the people in the class, even the creep with the wonky eye would have be better than Edward 'Everyone loves me' Cullen. He was probably the only person in the room she didn't want to be placed with. Granted they hadn't spoken since his 13th Birthday but she knew him, or rather knew his persona. Everyone loves him and he loves everyone loving him. "At least" she thought, "At least he isn't stupid"

~#~

"Howdy, Partner" he dragged out the partner, leaning against her locker. His lips curled into a slight cocky smile, his eyes studying her as she walk up to him.

"Hello, Could you move please?" she tried to sound polite but she knew she had failed the fake-ness in her words was obvious.

He just continued to smirk at her, "now, now no need for that. You should be nice to your new Shakespeare partner."

She just stared at him, eyebrows raised. He did eventually slide over so she could open her locker door.

"So, what's the plan Stan?" He tried again, the permanent smile not moving from his face. Part of him felt odd to be speaking to her once again. He could probably count on one hand what they had said to each other in the last 5 years.

Bella looked at him as she closed her locker, "Well unfortunately we can't just do this project by text so I guess we will have to meet up" she responded bitingly.

"Haven't lost the wit then" Edward retorted, as Bella began to walk away from her locker and he followed. She just sent him a withering look.

"Tomorrow?" She asked, sounding increasingly annoyed with him walking next to her.

He shook his head, "Football practice. Wednesday?"

It was Bella's time to shake her head this time, "I babysit."

"You do?" His question came out more shocked than he had meant it to be, after all Bella had liked children when they were younger, he had no reason to believe that had changed, "Who?"

If she was shocked by his question she didn't show it, "Not that it matters, but one of my dad's men. He and his wife always work late on a Wednesday" She told him.

Edward nodded in understanding, "Thursday then."

She stopped outside of a classroom, "Thursday would be okay."

Edward opened his mouth to say something but it was drowned out by the sharp bell. Bella raised one side of her mouth at him before entering the classroom behind her.


	2. Act 1 Scene 2

**A/N - A Thank you to those to read Chp 1. This one is a little shorter**

**Act 1 Scene 2**

**Men at some time are masters of their fates**

"It is the day of Thor Ms Swan" The deep joking voice of Edward Cullen crept up behind her as she sat hunched over in the library, gnawing on the yellow HB pencil in her mouth.

She didn't look up from her notepad and paper, "Yes it is" she returned dryly.

"I was alluding to our date" Edward retained his jokiness as he somehow managed to land in the seat opposite her with too much elegance for a 6 foot something football player. He lent forward perching his head on his hands, peering at her.

"It is not a date" She retorted dryly still not looking at him.

"Potato, potahto" came his reply, "you realise you will have to look at me at some point right?" he added, with more seriousness colouring his voice.

Bella quickly moved her eyes to look at him, "yes" before turning back quickly to look at her notes, writing down a number. Her teeth picking up her bottom lip, biting down as she focused on her notes.

In some part of his mind, Edward was reminded of when he use to scold her for doing that and tell her that it made her look like a cannibal. He soon pushed the memory away however replacing it with another. He quickly slid his hand forward and took her pad of paper.

"Hey!" she exclaimed looking at him properly, her bottom lip being dropped from her teeth.

He ignored her, "Pencil" he said after a short while. She didn't respond so he jutted out his palm in her direction, wiggling his fingers.

Bella huffed and placed her pencil in his hand. He didn't respond but leant over her notepad and proceeded used her pencil to change and add numbers on the page. After a few minutes he slid the pad back to her smiling smugly.

She scoffed then looked down at the paper, scanning over his messy numbers on top of and next to her carefully curved ones, "that is rude you….oh" She stopped as she studied what he had done "oh that is how?" she looked up at him. Edward just nodded; "thanks" she said quietly, he just smiled.

"It is fine, I like maths" he explained, "it makes sense – all the rules" he added off handily in explanation Bella just nodded, fiddling with her pencil once more.

They fell into a half awkward silence again. "You mentioned Thor?" Bella asked after a few moments, catching his gaze and holding it.

Edward smirked at her, "That I did" Bella waited for him to say more but he didn't so she raised her eyebrows at him in query.

"Yes…?..." he said grinning at her.

"Oh come on." Bella said exacerbated.

Edward laughed, "don't get your panties in a twist Ms Swan" he continued to laugh.

Bella just scowled at him in frustration.

"You are too easy Isabella" Edward informed her laughing still, "but yes I did. When are we doing this Shakespeare stuff then?" He finally asked.

"Well yes" she replied, "I thought we had already decided on today?"

"Yes. But when? Now? after school? Where?" he explained purposely elongating the words.

Bella couldn't be bothered to reply so she just shook her head at him. As she began to pack away her things "I can't do now, after school then?" She told him.

"Of course" he replied, "mine?"

Bella looked up at him, surprised, "Yours?"

"Yes mine. The house'll be empty." He added standing up as she did.

"You realise you are doing the opposite of convincing me right?" Bella told him. Slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushing her chair in.

Edward laughed, "oh come on, I'm not going to go all Stephen King on your ass. We will have space and it will be quiet." Then he added, "And I promise to obey Duggar rules and everything."

"Duggar rules?" She questioned, not realising she was waiting for him to put his bag over his shoulders.

"Alice is a fan" he said dismissively.

"Ummm…okay?" she said still puzzled as they left the library.

"So my house?" Edward repeated, ignoring the interlude over the Duggars and Bella's obvious lack of television watching.

Bella sighed, "I guess. I'll need to go home first." She added.

"Fine, just come whenever." He turned to go right, "you know the address right?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "no, I might get lost. Folks is sooo big and all, and it isn't like everyone knows their neighbours" she didn't let him retort before sliding off.


	3. Act 1 Scene 3

**I am not a A/N sort really. However I felt the need to put one: I do normally plan to update every week. However I am now how for the Christmas break from University so this will probably be the last one until I am back to University in January at which point I should go back to the normal once a week updating.**

**Act 1 Scene 3**

**We will awake him and be sure of him**

Edward stood leaning against the worktop waiting for the light on the coffee machine to turn green while he lazily scanned through his phone. The three short rings of the doorbell startled him away from the counter and he lazily walked towards the front door. The bell rang once more before he could open the door.

"Impatience isn't attractive Ms Swan" He told her in lieu of a greeting.

She just cocked an eyebrow at him. He smirked but moved to the side to let her wander in. Bella looked at the hallway it was similar to how it had been the last time she had been in it but she thought it probably decorated and modernised, it had been nearly 5 years after all.

"Would the kitchen be alright?" Edward asked her.

She allowed a look of surprise and shock to cross her face before she quickly replaced it with a look of indifference, "Of course". She began to follow him before he stopped and just glanced down at her feet. She followed his gaze and then jumped to his, to clock his brown socks. Silently she took off her ballet flats placing them against the wall and following him again towards the kitchen.

The bright kitchen ran the width of the house; the glass and wooden doors were open slightly to let some of the crisp autumn air into the room. Bella stood surveying the room, the kitchen section to her right and the dinning part to her left. Edward walked towards a cupboard and then the fridge, as Bella switched her attention to the outlook of the garden. A decking ran the length of the wall curling around the edge of the house. Beyond that the grass was green and seemed to go one far beyond the far trees in the end. It was a far cry from the unkempt barrenness of her own.

"Coffee?" Edward's question broke her surveying. He stood there coffee jug in hand over two large mugs.

"Please" she nodded turning her back away from him to place her bag on the table and to peel off her cardigan "just milk, nothing else" she added, taking a seat. He poured the coffee, replacing the milk in the fridge and joined her at the table, sitting opposite her and sliding the green mug towards her.

"Thanks." he just nodded in reply holding the mug to take a cautionary sip of the hot liquid.

"How come the house is empty?" she asked, she realised it was a poor attempt at conversation but it was all she couldn't think of at that moment.

He didn't seem to notice however, "Dad's working, Mom's on some business trip to San Francisco, Alice is at cheer practice" he paused, "and College is in so Em is still there" he added needlessly.

Bella just nodded, blowing onto her coffee, "so" she began placing her mug down and taking her paper, books and pencil case out of her bag, "do you have any idea how you want to do this?"

Without missing a beat he said, "Doggy style on my bed."

Bella stopped and slowly looked at him, sending him a withering look but colour entered her cheeks, "really Cullen?"

At least he had some hint of apology in his face, "sorry. I'll be good promise."

She just shook her head, "look can we just stick to the Tragedy of Julius Caesar?" she enquired seriously.

He nodded, "fine but we can at least have some fun right?" he looked up at her, "or maybe not?" he added after catching her eye.

"Good" she replied tartly, "so Shakespeare.."

They spent the next 2 and bit hours lent over the table discussing the play and scribbling down things and drinking more coffee.

After a while Edward pulled up, "hungry?"

Bella didn't look at him, "not really." She told him as she wrote down notes next to a line by Brutus.

Edward sighed.

"Really? It is gone 6 o'clock. I'm hungry" he lent further back in his chair.

"Then I should go." Bella said going to collect her things.

"I didn't mean that" Edward said hurriedly as she stood up.

"I realise but I should go." As she spoke little footsteps echoed into the kitchen.

"What's up Ned?" the bouncy voice of Alice Cullen entered the kitchen.

He didn't reply, "Oh hey Bella" Alice's greeting to Bella came quickly as she slid up to the table as she tugged her hair from the hair bobble.

"Hey" Bella told her as she put on her cardigan.

"Are you leaving?" Alice asked, Bella just nodded at her.

"You did ask if she want to stay for dinner right?" Alice turned to ask her brother.

"Of course she said she wasn't hungry" he replied doing the same as Alice in ignoring that Bella was still in the room

"Oh really?" Alice replied turning back to Bella.

"Yeah, I should go home" she turned and began to walk out of the kitchen. As she came to the hall and slid her feet into her shoes. Edward appeared next to her.

"When you free again?" he asked.

"Umm, whenever, I can just never do Wednesday or Sunday."

He followed her to the door, "okay so what about this Saturday, say 3?"

Bella nodded, "here again?" he added.

She nodded again.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for some food? We will probably order some pizza."

Bella smiled, "thanks but I'm fine" She gave one last smile and turned to walk towards her car.


	4. Act 2 Scene 1

**A/N**

**My apologies for not updating in Jan like I said I would. The joys of being in your final year of University I guess.**

**Act 2 Scene 1 **

**Now bid me run, And I will strive with things impossible**

**Any chance we could make it later today? Say about 6? **

Bella looked down at her phone when it vibrated on the counter top. Picking it up to read it quickly before she carried on making herself a cup of coffee. It wasn't until she sat back down at the kitchen table, surrounded by her books and laptop that she picked up her phone to reply to Edward,

_That is fine, make it 7 so I can eat something first though._

She returned to her history essay and flickering between the computer, her note pad and Chapter 11 _The business of Culture_ in Hoppen's, 'Mid-Victorian Generation'.

"You read too much Isabella" Her dad informed her as he walked into the kitchen from the garden.

She smiled up at him, as she took a sip of coffee, choosing to ignore his comment, "The coffee is fresh, Dad".

He laughed as he leant against the counter top looking at her, drinking his coffee, "So what are you doing this weekend, any parties?" he asked.

"Really Dad?" She looked up at him.

Before he could reply her phone beeped, "Or maybe a date?" he offered instead, laughing.

Bella shook her head before looking down at her phone.

**Don't be silly. We will feed you. I still feel bad about the other day**

"No, just Edward" Bella told her dad, as she read the text.

If she had looked up she would have seen her Dad's eyes go wide and eyebrows go up in surprise, "Cullen?"

She hummed in response as she typed out a reply.

_If you are sure…._

"Have I walked back in time?" her dad questioned smiling but with some wondering in his voice.

Bella looked up at him, "Not like that Dad, we got put together for an English project" she explained.

He made a noise, "if you say so Isabella" he told her, before walking out of the kitchen.

Bella went back to her work, choosing to ignore her Dad's attempt at humour. Her phone beeped a while later.

**Of course I am. On the strike of six, Miss Swan. **

#

"I had a thought earlier" Bella declared as she unpacked her bag onto the kitchen table.

Edward was standing close to the table, looking at her as she spilled her plethora of notes, laptop and books and what seemed to be the oddest collection of pens he had ever seen, " Wow, you shock me" he replied. That comment earned him another withering look from Bella, "You know I am starting to think you keep that look just for me."

She looked up at him, "Yep, it's called the Cullen" She replied bitingly.

He raised his hands in surrender, "all right, fine, sorry."

She just raised her eyebrows at him as she sat down in a chair, "Brutus or Cassius?" she asked, holding up a copy of the play.

They sat for around 40 minutes discussing the play and starting the presentation, Edward amazed at a world beyond Microsoft PowerPoint, having been introduced to Prezi. They continued working until a bouncing Alice appeared in the kitchen, flinging herself up onto the kitchen island, swinging her legs back and forth.

"So what are we ordering?" She basically sung at them. They turned at the same time to look towards her. Edward leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

"I don't mind, Bella?" He enquired.

She shrugged, "I honestly don't mind."

They were all silent for a short moment until Alice jumped off the side and went towards a draw pulling out a menu, "Chinese then?"

In the half an hour it took for their Chinese to arrive, Alice had left them to it. Edward had tried to get the conversation away from Julius Caesar but Bella kept directing it back towards the play making those short 30 minutes stretch on for eternity.

Eventually they moved into the living room, food lay out on the coffee table. Alice had taken over one of the chairs, glued to her phone. Bella sat poised on the side of the sofa leaning forward sitting the furthest away from Edward that she could, who sat relaxed on the other end of the sofa. As he stuffed a spring roll into his mouth he picked up the remote control, "Any requests?" he asked as he flicked the large TV on.

"The 1953 movie version of Julius Caesar." Bella replied dryly.

If they had been watching her, they would have seen Alice smirk at Bella's reply.

"Don't be silly, Miss Isabella" Edward told her, as he flicked through the TV guide, "I have had enough Shakespeare for one weekend."

Bella turned to look at him as she chewed on a piece of crispy chilli beef, "Well Shakespeare is why I am here Edward." She told him dryly before turning back to face the TV. Edwards just looked at her. He wasn't expecting her to say anything different but still he had hoped she would look a little less awkward in his presence, less like she was about to run out of the door at any moment.

"NCIS?" he questioned.

Alice didn't seem to notice that they were having a conversation and Bella just shrugged in agreement. He flicked it on, but then ignored it, turning his attention to look at Bella who seemed far too engrossed in her dinner.

He hadn't thought about the possibility of getting Bella as a partner in English, actually in any lesson, but he had had to smile when she had eventually woken up in Mr Masen's lesson. He had gone over what to say her after the class in his mind for the rest of English. What did you say to someone you hadn't talked to since before high school? So he had found himself taking on the image high school had cultivated in him and she in turned kept her sarcastic self on full blast. There was a time when her retorts had made him laugh and she would have called him out for acting the way he did, but as her reply about the television had reminded him that a lot had changed since they were 13 and their relationship had not developed in those 5 years but instead had been killed and buried far under the ground. Sat on the sofa with her now, Edward wanted nothing more than her to lean back and relax, to talk about nothing much and eat too much Chinese. Instead he was watching her eat her food carefully, as she sat contained and restrained on the small portion of the sofa. They sat in a silent room for a while only surrounded by the sounds of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, until Bella stood up.

"I should go." She declared, looking down at Edward.

He jumped up, "You don't have to, I'm sure we have ice cream" He told her, rubbing the back of his neck.

A side smile appeared on her face, "No, that is okay, thanks though" She turned and gave Alice a quick smile goodbye, before walking out of the room.

Edward stood there for a moment before Alice shook her head at him, before indicating for him to follow him. Quickly hurrying out of the living room, He almost bumped into Bella walking out of the kitchen, bag slung over her shoulder. "You don't have to go, you know" he told her as she slipped her boots on.

"Yes I know, but I should" she told him as she pulled her jacket on.

He watched her head towards the door, "When should we do this again?" he asked as she was halfway out of the door.

Bella looked back at him, "Let's just sort it out at school yeah?" She didn't wait for his answer before, turning her back and walking towards her truck.


End file.
